Blitz of Pine Trail Atom netbooks due Jan. 11?
updated 07:50 am EST, Fri December 4, 2009
Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI Pine Trail netbooks
Intel could have a flurry of netbooks based on its Pine Trail platform in a single day if a claim on Friday bears out. Without pointing to secondary sources, DigiTimes asserts that Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and MSI have all agreed to wait to launch portables using the 1.66GHz Atom N450 on January 11th, a day after Intel should unveil the processor itself. Most of these would run Windows 7 Starter Edition, but companies will also have the pick of Intel's own Moblin Linux or Windows XP Home to lower the price.
While the date arrives a week after it was first thought Pine Trail Atoms were to launch, it remains consistent with the expected release schedule and would be timed for just after CES, when many of the companies involved are still likely to at least preview their new systems.
Pine Trail is built on a more efficient design that builds the graphics controller inside the processor, shrinking the footprint while also improving performance and battery life. Besides the 1.66GHz chip, a 1.86GHz N470 model is now anticipated for March.
